Morning journal and courier., 1887-03-03
THE DAY AT HARTFORD.

Thursday, March 3, 1887.
 THE DAY AT HARTFORD. Important Matters Before the Senate,
 House and the Commistees-The
 FOur.Year County COmmissfOnshiP
 Passed-Two Labor Hills Reported
 to the Senate Payments Every
 Eight Days-The Shell Fish COmnl1s-
 sionership Hearing Testimony In
 Favor of Retaining ft-SuPp0rters of
 Woman Suffrage Bills Make We1ghty
 Addresses.
 HARTFORD, March 2.
 Especial to the JOURNAL AND COURIER
 There was much business of importance transacted at the Capitol to-day. There was lively debate in the House over the bill in troduced by Representative Thompson, of East Haven, relating to the four-year terms of county commissioners. After it had been hauled over the coals it was passed. Iu the Senate Senator Bates committee on labor re- ported adversely upon bills for weekly pay | ments and for the repeal of the factorizing | law, reported two substitutes, one reducing the costs in civil actions wherein wages are | attached, and the other providing for eight l day payments, so as to put the payment over from Saturday. There were several impor- l tant committee hearings, including the shell l fish commission, the woman suffrage, the tax commission and the copstitutionsl amendment.
 The hearing on the bills and petitions abolishing the shell fish commission, which adjourned from Tuesday, took place before the committee on fisheries this afternoon. There were many prominent oystermen pres o,o4 oo9 the hearing by subjecting Hon. George II. Townsend to rigid cross examination. MT. Townsend is prominent oyster cultivator from New Haven. He was the first gentle l man to testify on the side fayoring the com mission. He stated that he had been an oyster grower since 1862 and largely interested in the business. He was opposed decidedly to the bill abolishing the commission, which in his opinion should be retained by all means. He said he was very much opposed to any bill changing the present method of manag- ing the oyster industry. The commission is all right as it stands and there is no necessi- ty for a change Previous to 1881 the oystermen were greatly muddled over the boundary lines. The commission strengthened matters out. As regards taxes, efter action had been once taken we have never had any relief. I favor continuing the commission, at least until all duties appertaining to them have been completed. The oyster dealers cannot afford to lose the services of the experienced gentlemen of the commission. They have saved litigation. I have great confidence in them.
 Benjamin R. Wilmot of Greenwich, an oyster baron owning considerable tract of land, told the committee that in his opinion the commission should be either entirely abolished or else retain all the gentlemen on it. He didn't believe that it would be ssfe to leave the power to one man. The com missioners should be either all retained or all turned out. He caused some surprise by stating that of the couple of hundred names on petition asking for the abolition of the commission only about third of them were owners of oyster land. The impression had been given out that they were interested in oyster cultivating. Caleb L. Luddington, of Fair Haven, was next called, but he did not care to talk regarding the matter until future hearing.
 
 dealers of Oyster Point, through Attorney Maltbie presented communication. It was strongly in favor of the commission being retained Attorneys Harrison and filling made strong opposition to the communica- tion being read, and the committee finally ruled it out for the present on the ground that the orignators were not present. The firm is composed of M. P. Smith, W. M. Smith and R. T. Smith, They are very large growers of the bivalye. The communication is as follows: ''We have been for eighteen years engaged in the business of oyster cul- ture in Long Island Sound, probably as ex- tensively as anyone in this business, and are strongly opposed to any change in the man. ner of regulating that industry. We have found the commission, at present gauized, efficient and economical method of settling disputes about oyster grounds, and as far as our experience goes it settles them satisfactorily and just ly. It is a saving to the individual aud the State by avoiding the delay and ex- pense of protractod lawsuits. This in itself is a sufficient reeson for maintaining the commission. If these disputes were heard by one man, no matter how competent his decisions, they would not be generally &C., quiesced in. There would often a lurking doubt as to his impartiality which cannot at tach to a commission of three. We think that the interests of all oyster growers who cultivate their grounds vii be best served by retaining the commission, with a reduc tion of expenses as far as practicable. The proposed bill could only benefit such g.ow- e.s as wish to secure large tracts of oyster grounds which they neither rre themselves nr al nthaTl n inn has in the past universally set itself against any such monopoly and it is easy to under stand that parties finding their plans thwarted would be glad to leg islate out of office these men who have irfexibly opposed their schemes for aggrand:zement. They cannot fare worse, and may do better. That such men should favor the proposed bill, or that those growers who have largely profted by the laws delay and find fault with the promptness of the commissioners action and interfere with these methods should join in the only practicable way of removing this obstacle from their path, is not to be won dered at, but all other oyster growers should unite in endorsing the action of the commis- sion which has led to this effort to remove them. We trust that the committee will not favorably report a bill depriving the bona fide grower of his safeguard against the monopolists, and abolishing a commission really because it has done his duty, and thus made enemies"
 A communication was read from William M. Merwin of Milford, which was likewise ruled out until the writer could be present. | It said: ''I learn that a move is | being made to oust the present board of commissioners and appoint a one man power in place of them, as it now | exists Also that all grievances shall be left l to the different boards Of relief of the shore l towns. am opposed to any such move, at least until the present office has perfected | the plans and ca1-ied out the object for | which it was created. The business is of too much importance to be trifed with and
 the State cannot afford to allow legislation
 to creep in to gtatify, perhaps, some few in dividuals who have axes to sind, and who l want to bs tinkering the laws. We have the
 best system on earth, and it has been brought \ forth by great exertions on the part of the commission with the help of the oyster planters. The State can well afford to sup port the office, even if they do not add one
 cent to the treasury. directly from the taxa
 tion of oyster lands, because every planter
 hes increased his taxable list four fold on
 shore in docks, buildings, steamers, etc. If you will take the trouble to look into the | m attar vor will find tha ahova fo he the